Rose Conway Walsh (Sinn Fein)
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I thank Ms McPhillips for her presentation. There is extreme concern in the farming community about current prices and the fact that incomes have fallen by 16%, without Brexit. The price of beef is at an all-time low. What has the Department done regarding exports? Some 52% of beef is exported to Britain. What specifically has the Department done to ensure that the 52% of product that goes to the British market will be protected and that Irish beef will hold its position within the British market?

Have payments for suckler cows been seriously considered? The IFA and other farming organisations are asking for a support package of €200 per cow. What has the Department done to increase the prices paid by factories? They are tangible issues. I welcome the developments such as the beef genomics schemes and other schemes Ms McPhillips has mentioned but there is a real urgency around securing the current incomes and addressing the shortfalls that exist even without Brexit.